Ground Water in the Norwalk, Suffield, and Glastonbury Areas, Connecticut

Short tributaries of Connecticut and Farmington rivers drain Windsor Locks. In the northern and western parts of the town there are extensive areas with no streams of sulRcient size to be shown on the maps (Pis. IV and V). Evidently the water derived from the rain and snow that fall on these areas, except- the part that evaporates, is entirely absorbed and becomes part of the ground-water body. Along the stream valleys cut in the stratified drift are numerous large springs, such as those that feed the reservoir of the Windsor Locks Water Co. The high porosity and drj^ness of the surface soil is further shown by the xerophytic character of the flora. WATER-BEARINC4 FORMATIONS. Till. — The only till area in Windsor Locks is one of a few acres on a low hill on the Suffield boundary, but no wells were found there. The occurrence of water in the till is the same as in the till of the adjacent towns. (See p. 143.) StraUiied drift. — Stratified drift comprises all the debris washed out from the ice sheet as it melted back, together with eroded por- tions of the till and of the bedrock. There are beds and lenses of clay, silt, sand, and gravel, which lie on one another and interfinger in a very intricate w^ay. Within each bed or lens the grains are of very uniform size and most of them are well rounded. As a conse- quence the total pore space is great, and beds are high in permeabil- ity. Eain is readilj^ absorbed, and the water sinks downward until it reaches a zone of saturation. Wells dug or driven deep enough to penetrate the saturated zone are likely to obtain abundant and de- pendable supplies of water. Fourteen such wells were visited in Windsor Locks in July and August, 1916. Ten were said to be non- * Gregory, H. B., and Ellis, A. J., Ground water in the Hartford, Stamford, Salisbury, Willimantic, and Saybrook areas. Conn. : U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 374, ^p. 86, 90, 1916. WINDSOR LOCKS. 151 f:iilin<r and three were said to fail. The reliability of the other one was not ascertained. The data collected concerning the depths of these wells are summarized in the following table: SiiiHiiiari/ of wells in Windsor Locks. Total depth. Depth to water. Depth of water in wells. Maximum Feet. 41 8 Feet. 39. .3 3.8 15.2 Feet. 8.8 2 5 Milium um 6.6 19.6 « Average 4.3 QUALITY OF GROUND WATER. The accompanying table gives the results of one analysis and one assay of samples of ground water collected in Windsor Locks. No. 6 is low in total mineral content ; No, 13 is moderately mineralized. Both are soft. So far as their mineral character is concerned, the waters are acceptable for domestic use, although the high nitrate in No. 6 may indicate pollution. No. 6 is considered good for boiler use, but on account of the large amount of scale-forming ingredients in No. 13 it is considered only fair for boiler use. No, 6 is calcium- carbonate in type, and No. 13 is a calcium-chloride water. Clionicul com position and classiftcafion of ground iraters in Windsor Locks." [Parts per million. Collected Dec. 6, 1916; analyzed by Alfred A. Chambers and C. H. Kidwell. Numbers of analysis and assay correspond to those used on PI. IV.] Analysis. 6 Assay. Silica (SiOs) Iron(Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium ( Mg) Sodium and potassium (Na+K)d Carbonate radicle (CDs) Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) Sulphate radicle (SO4) Chloride radicle (CI) Nitrate radicle (NO3) Total dissolved solids at 180° C . . Total hardness as CaCOa Scale-forming onstituents <*.... Foaming constituents d Chemical character Probability of corrosion < Quality for boiler use Quality for domestic u,se 18 .31 12 5.0 12 .0 39 17 5.8 23 104 dSO 62 32 Ca-COs (?) Good. Good. .0 disc 83 110 60 Ca-Cl (?) Fair. Good. 3 For location and other descriptive information see p. 152. b For methods used in analysis and accuracy of results see pp. 52-60. c Approximations; for methods used in assay and reliability of results, see pp. 52-60. d Computed. e Based on computed quantity ; (?) = corrosion uncertain. 152 GEOUJSTD WATER IIST jSTORWALK AIS^D OTHER AREAS, CONN. PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY. The village of "Windsor Locks has been supplied with water by the Windsor Locks Water Co. since 1892. Water from a spring-fed brook in the southeast part of the town is intercepted in two reser- voirs of 90,000 and 210,000 gallons capacity, from which it is pumped by electricity to a standpipe on a hill northwest of the village. The water is distributed by gravity under a pressure of TO pounds to the square inch through 10^ miles of main pipe to 68 fire hydrants and- 592 service taps. Between 2,500 and 3,000 people are served and con- sume about 227,000 gallons a day on the average. The main pump has a capacity di 1,000 gallons a minute, and there are in addition a 750-gallon pump driven by a heavy oil engine and a 350-gallon pump driven by a kerosene engine. The present supply is adequate to meet the demands on the system, and the company owns another brook from which twice as much water can be drawn as from the one utilized at present. Wells in Windsor Locks. No. on PI. IV, Owner. Topographic situation. Eleva- tion above sea level. Total depth. Depth to water Depth of water in well. Rig. Remarks. Plain. . ..--.do. Frank Debail. .do. .do. .do. Mrs. L.A.Webb. P. Pouruier. .....do.... Terrace. . . Plain .do.... .....do.... do.... Terrace . . . Slope .do. Feet. 165 165 145 145 145 140 140 95 80 65 50 30 Feet. 11.5 20 25.2 37 41.8 19.9 14.2 16.1 6.6 9.5 11.2 22.9 22.1 16.2 Feet. 5.8 22.4 30 39.3 16.0 5.4 13.3 3.8 5.8 8.4 19.2 18.8 10.0 Feet. 5.7 2.8 7 2.5 2.8 2.8 3.7 2.8 3.7 3.3 6.2 Pitcher pump. do Chain pump Deep- well pump Windlass rig Two-bucket rig Chain pump . House pump . No rig do Chain pump . House pump and windlass rig. House pump — Windlass rig Nonfailing, tiled. Nonf ailing. Driven well. Nonfailing. Do. Water from stratilied drift. For analysis see p. 151. Nonfailing. Fails. Nonfailing. Do. Do. Do. Fails. Fluctuates with the river. Water from stratified drift. For assay see p. 151. Fails. Nonfailing. GLASTONBUEY. AREA, POPULATION, AND INDUSTRIES. Glastonbury is an extensive town near the southeast corner of Hartford County and lies on the east shore of Connecticut Eiver. It is about 5 miles southeast of the city of Hartford and 8 miles north of Middletown. The town has an area of 54 square miles, of which 30| square miles or 55 per cent is wooded. There are very few woods in the vrestern part of the town ; the middle is largely wooded ; and the very hilly eastern part is filmost entirely covered with woods. GLASTONBURY. 153 The town works about 125 miles of dirt roads. There arc in addition 4 miles of the Ilartford-New London State trunk highway and 6 miles of road maintained in part by the State. These roads are surfaced with bituminous macadam. The principal settlements are Glastonbury and South Glastonbury, near tlie northwest and south- west corners, respectively. ITopevrell i5 a small settlement on Roar- ing Brook. 2 miles east of South Glastonbury. East Glastonbury is on the same stream 3 miles farther northeast, Addison and Buck- inoluim are 1| and 5 miles east of Glastonbury, respectively. Naubuc, another small village, is 1^ miles northwest of Glastonbury. Post oflices are maintained at Glastonbury, South Glastonbury, P'ast Glas- tonbury, and Addison, and the outlying districts are served by rural delivery. A ferry at South Glastonbury^ connects with the Valley division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Eailroad at Eocky Hill. A trolley line from Hartford runs to Glastonbury and South Glastonbury. During the open season there is steamboat con- nection to Plartford and New York. Glastonbury was taken from Wethersfield in 1690 and incorporated ;is a separate town. In 1803 about -i square miles was taken to make l)art of Marlboro, and in 1813 1| square miles more was ceded. In 1910 the population of Glastonbury was 4,T96, which is equivalent to a density of 89 to the square mile. Much of the population is con- (^entrated in the several villages, so that most of Glastonbury is sparsely settled. The following table shows the changes in popula- tion since 1756: Population of Glastonbury, 1756-1910.'^ Year. 175G. 1774. 17S2. 1790. ISOO. 1810. 1S20. 1830. Popula- Per cent tion. change. 1,115 2,071 + 86 2,346 + 13 2,732 + 16 2, 718 - 1 2, 766 + 2 3,114 + 13 2,980 - 4 1840. 1850. 1860. 1870. 1880. 1890. 1900. 1910. Popula- Per cent tion. change. 3,077 + 3 3,390 + 10 3,363 - 1 3,550 + 6 3,580 0 3,457 - 3 4,260 + 23 4,796 + 12 o Connecticut Register and Manual, 1919, p. 638. There have been uo great nor persistent tendencies toward de- crease in population at anj^ time, and the gains have exceeded the losses. A continuation of the moderate, uniform growth is to be expected. The principal industries are agriculture, tobacco and or- chard fruits being the chief crops, and the manufacture of soap and other toilet preparations, paper, woolen and knit goods, and silverware. SURFACE FEATURES, Glastonbury is in part in the central lowlands of Connecticut and in part in the eastern highland. The lowland includes a strip a 154 GEOUND WATER IIST NOEWALK AIS'D OTHEE AREAS, COFN.